Written Answers Friday 6 January 2006

Scottish Executive

Cancer

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of its research budget is allocated to prostate cancer.

Lewis Macdonald: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department, has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland. The CSO does not allocate its funds to particular illnesses or conditions. Cancer is a research priority and in 2004-05 CSO spent 23% of its total budget on cancer research.

  In 2004-05, the CSO allocated £34.74 million of its budget of £49.21 million to health boards to meet the cost to the NHS of hosting, supporting and conducting non-commercial research (funded by Government, charities and research councils). The remainder of the CSO’s budget is spent on directly funded research by responding to requests for funding research proposals initiated by the research community in Scotland. This role is well known and advertised throughout the healthcare and academic community.

  The CSO is not funding directly any research on prostate cancer. The CSO would be pleased to consider research proposals for innovative prostate cancer studies of a sufficiently high standard. These would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.

Energy

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance will be given to pensioners to reduce their energy use.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has invested over £200 million in our central heating and warm deal programmes installing over 60,000 central heating systems and providing insulation measures for a further 200,000 households. Our central heating programme provides pensioners with a number of free measures including central heating, and insulation along with a free benefits health check and advice on how to reduce energy use. In addition to this, the Executive provides grant funding to the Energy Saving Trust in Scotland to deliver a range of programmes and advice to promote energy efficiency in the domestic sector and to assist people to reduce their energy use.

Lottery Funding

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how much each parliamentary constituency received in lottery funding in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Patricia Ferguson: The distribution of National Lottery funds is a matter for the Lottery Distribution Bodies: Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Screen,  sportscotland, the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The information requested is not held centrally by the Executive.

  The Department for Culture, Media and Sport maintains an electronic database of National Lottery awards. Details of the total awarded to each constituency area and each local authority area for each Lottery good cause can be obtained through the DCMS website at: http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/search.asp.

Ministerial Correspondence

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Communities will reply to Alex Salmond MP’s letter dated 12 October 2005 regarding renewable energy grants.

Nicol Stephen: The reply to this letter was sent on 9 December 2005.

Wind Farms

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many wind farm applications have been approved by it following refusal by local authorities.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following information shows that five wind farm applications have been approved on appeal to the Scottish Ministers following refusal by local authorities.

  

File Reference
Date of
Receipt
Development
Site
Development
Description
Decision
Date


P/PPA/170/80
22-02-02
Carlesgill Hill, Langholm
Erection of 5 wind turbines
11-07-02


P/PPA/300/128
23-01-04
Hills of Towie, Drummuir, Keith
Erection of 21 wind turbines
11-04-05


P/PPA/110/456
01-04-04
East Mains of Dummuie, Drumblade, Huntly
Erection of 7 wind turbines
22-09-04


P/PPA/170/117
23-06-04
Carlesgill Hill, Langholm
Erection of 5 wind turbines
09-11-04


P/PPA/300/166
25-05-05
Balnamoon, Crossroads, Keith
Construction of a wind turbine.
06-10-05



  Copies of the appeal decision on each case can be downloaded from the Inquiry Reporters Unit website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/planning_appeals/seiru.